2005-04-20

Garden State Book Awards Luncheon

The GSBA Luncheon was a delight from start to finish. Though some honorees could not be present, those who did come were showered with praise, and seemed genuinely delighted to be among friends, while those who could not attend sent kind remarks in their stead. Photos from the luncheon follow this post.

Paula Danziger, for Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber BrownAlyssa Capucilli, for Biscuit Goes To SchoolJerry Spinelli, for LoserChristopher Sloan, for Bury The Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons and Rituals.

Cornelia Funke, for The Thief LordMeg Cabot, for All-American GirlLauren Manoy, for Where To Park Your Broomstick: A Teen's Guide to Witchcraft

Keynote speaker Sharon Dennis Wyeth spoke movingly about the power of stories to heal broken relationships, and Paula Danziger's brother Barry picked up the thread in his gracious and touching acceptance speech on Paula's behalf, urging everyone to celebrate Paula's birthday this summer by reaching out to an estranged or long-lost friend or relative. Unfortunately, I missed Lauren Manoy's acceptance speech -- I hope Cathy Delneo, who was also present and on the dais that afternoon, can fill readers in on Lauren's remarks.

1 Comments:

I'm glad to fill in the details of Laura Manoy's acceptance speech, but it was really short! I did get a chance to speak with her during the meal and afterward and so I'll blend what she said in her speech with what she told me personally.

Laura was really honored to receive the award and thought it was great that students had voted for her book. She also tipped her hat to librarians, which I thought was very nice! I asked her if she was working on anything else right now and she spoke about how she doesn't want to be typecast and is thinking of doing something very different for her next book. I mentioned that there was a real need for wiccan fiction written by actual wiccans who understand the tradition. She agreed and looked thoughtful, so maybe we can all throw out that "The Other Ones" (Jean Thesman) book I hate? I got the impression that she had written Where to Park Your Broomstick because she really cared about creating a quality book. I'm sure that whatever she writes next will be something that she cares equally about and is equally energized about writing.

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